The Dragon and The Raven 2

Study Guide Questions for Ch. 2 “The Battle of Kesteven”

If you are looking for the beginning of the study for G. A. Henty’s The Dragon and The Raven then you can go HERE for a brief introduction. At the bottom of the introduction you will find the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. If you would like to see the growing list of book studies available for free on this site you can go HERE. Enjoy!

Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)

Hospitality, Fear, Loyalty, Courage, Music, Cowardice

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. What was a stand out characteristic of Saxon clothing?

2. What did travelers use as “halting places” during this time period in England?

3. What did Edmund do to pass the time while staying at the abbey?

4. What did a messenger come to the abbey to report upon and what did he request?

5. Where did the Saxon men get weapons if they had none of their own?

6. Describe “the wild scene” of that Saxon camp the night before the first battle.

7. Describe the appearance of the Danes according to the author.

8. What battle strategy did the Saxons use effectively against the Danes?

9. After the initial Saxon victory, what happened during the night after receiving news that Danish reinforcements had come?

10. What did Eldred instruct Edmund to do during the second battle?

11. How did the Danes trick the Saxon force to their destruction?

12. What is Edmund’s situation at the end of this chapter?

Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)

1. Why would Monasteries provide lodging to travelers?

2. Why would a monastery have an armory?

3. Why would men bring musical instruments when they were preparing for a battle?

4. Why would the Saxons have run away even after having such great success?

5. Why was the Phalanx formation so effective in battle?

Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)

1. What causes one nation to invade another? What would compel a people like the Danes (and the Saxons before them…and the Romans before them) to leave their own nation and people to attack another and conquer another? Are there any legitimate reasons to do this or is it always immoral to do so? Explain your answer.

2. Did the Saxon leaders make a prudent or imprudent decision to stay and fight after the majority of their forces deserted them? What would be the rationale behind deciding to leave versus deciding to stay and fight?

3. Did Edmund make the right decision by running from the battle rather than coming to help his father? Why or why not?

Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)

1. Read Judges 20. What similarity do you see between Israel’s successful battle tactic against the Benjaminites and that which we have read about in The Dragon and The Raven?